Independent power units with polymer membrane fuel cells

This paper presents the results of investigation of an independent power unit prototype with a polymer membrane fuel cell at the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg. The work in this paper includes the design of such applications, including additional electrical components like DC/DC converter, air compressor, water pump and heat cooling fan which are needed for system operation. The energy consumption by the periphery components influenced the electrical efficiency significantly. The investigations presented in this paper detected the air compressor and the cooling fan as the biggest energy consumers. Special attention has been paid on measurement and calculation of the components and the system energy efficiency.